1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a power control circuit. Specifically, the invention is a circuit, comprising silicon carbide junction field effect transistors and bipolar junction transistors, to control current flow via complimentary waveforms to gates within the circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Advanced power systems are required to facilitate extended missions, one non-limiting example being deep space exploration. Performance of such systems requires efficient transfer of power to multiple subsystems and devices. Power conditioning and control are critical to the viability of these systems.
Power transistors are the basis of power conditioning and control systems. The performance capabilities of power transistors greatly influence a variety of critical parameters including efficiency, thermal handling, volume, and mass.
Control architectures for high power systems must operate at elevated temperatures and high switching speeds. Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are compatible with high current and high voltage switching, thereby suggesting their applicability to power electronics at very high power levels. However, IGBTs have slow switching speeds and low operational temperatures. Slow switching speeds cause excessively noisy output, inefficient operation, and component stress. Improved efficiency and reduced stress are possible with output filtering; however, output filters are excessively bulky and heavy. Low operational temperatures quickly degrade performance and in the extreme cause their complete failure, thereby requiring thermal management solutions.
It is generally understood that high switching speeds are required to achieve high power densities in power electronics. Silicon carbide (SiC) switching devices have an extremely short reverse recovery time and operate effectively at elevated temperatures. However, individual SiC devices are not commercially available in IGBT and metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) devices. Bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), a current controlled current source, and diodes, a directional device, are mature technologies; however, bipolar devices are not easily implemented within switching electronics because of their current controlled functionality.
Therefore, what is required is a transistor-based circuit composed of silicon carbide power transistors and power components, for use within very-high power applications, which avoids the problems and deficiencies of the related arts.